


A Feast for the Heart

by GrimmStormborn



Category: Baahubali (Movies)
Genre: Cinderella AU, F/M, Sort of? - Freeform, kinda brushes past that, non-evil!Bhalla, so far from canon i have lost myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 03:18:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13068018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimmStormborn/pseuds/GrimmStormborn
Summary: As the world around them eats, drinks, fights, and drowns in merriment, two hearts come together in an unlikely circumstance.





	A Feast for the Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iwearplaids](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwearplaids/gifts).



> 1\. I wanted to write a non-evil!Bhalla in a canon world and...I ended up with this. The characters do not seem canon-compliant to me at all so I sincerely apologise. Also, I only borrowed the name Indhira, but she is not the same Indhira that appears in other fics :)
> 
> 2\. I have applied a bit of a Cinderella AU to the fic. This is basically a rom-com set in Mahshmati, and the way I vision non-evil!Bhalla to be.
> 
> 3\. I mixed two prompts - Bhalla/OFC and bro shenanigans. The latter is barely there, but it's there. 
> 
> 4\. I'm so sorry if this isn't what you expected! 
> 
> 5\. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

 

**A Feast for the Heart**

 

“Would you stop sulking?”

“Would you stop being so charming?”

“I can’t, it’s a gift.”

“And so is this.”

Amarendra Baahubali glares at his brother, who seems oddly pleased with his rather weak comeback.

“We can’t all be you, Baahu,” Bhalla finally says, and Baahu sighs.

“Fine. Just don’t let Mother see you look so glum,” Amarendra says.

“But when am I not glum?” Bhalla quips, and if you listen close enough, you can hear Baahu groan under his breath.

“Would you stop talking back all the time?” the younger brother snaps quietly. “I’m just saying, at an event that has all of the royal families of the neighbouring kingdoms gathered here, you can afford to be a little cheerful. It’s Mother’s birthday after all.”

Bhalla all but grumbles under his breath.

“Did I just hear Bhalla agreeing with you on something?” comes Devasena’s amused voice, and Bhalla rolls his eyes as he turns to his sister-in-law.

“Ei!” shrieks little Mahendra from her arms, and Bhalla spares a small smile at his three-year-old nephew – apparently only the youngest member of the Mahishmati royal family is worth his smile for the evening.

“You cannot escape from socialising by babysitting Mahendra this time,” Devasena says just as Bhalla raises his arms towards the toddler, and Bhalla sighs. He’s not that easy to read, is he?

Baahu all but smirks. “Caught by the master herself. Now, go. Go and mingle,” he shoos his brother, gently pushing him towards the general crowd.

Both Amarendra and Devasena watch in amusement as the older, much bigger man takes unwilling steps towards the people, guising his disinterest by smiling and attempting to make small talk with nobles here and there.

“Do you think he will find someone?” Baahu asks his wife.

“In life? Or just at this feast?” she questions him, and Baahu glares playfully at her as she smirks.

“There’s a higher chance of Kattappa leaving Queen Mother’s side willingly than Bhalla falling in love, but we’ll just see,” Devasena consoles (if one could call it that) her husband.

As if on cue, they are both met with Mahendra’s peals of laughter.

 

* * *

 

Bhalla isn’t stupid – he is well aware of the reason for such an extravagant feast. If Queen Mother wanted to celebrate her birthday, she’d have done so with her loved ones alone. She isn’t the biggest fan of grand celebrations that centeres around herself.

But what if the said self-celebration comes at a time where her older son needs to find a bride? She’d make it a public affair then, of course!

Which means that Bhalla is stuck to mingling in this event, for Mother’s sake, at least. He shudders to even think of the kind of talk he’d receive from his mother if he were to deftly escape, the way he always does.

Do not get him wrong – Bhalla isn’t afraid of people. Far from that, in fact, he _enjoys_ talking. He’s a charmer, a strategist, a diplomat. He tells you exactly what he wants you to hear.  He’d have you eating out of the palm of his hand in no time at all.

But that’s just it, isn’t it? He convinces you when you _need_ to be convinced. What is he going to convince people of here? That they absolutely _are_ having a good time?

With a deep sigh, Bhalla turns to speak to the 17th noble who has approached him since Baahu has left him alone. To his pleasant surprise, he sees no one. They are all occupied. Grasping the golden moment, Bhalla sneaks to the farthest corner of the expansive courtyard, slinking into the shadows the way a thief would.

“A repulsive bunch, aren’t they?”

The dagger that usually rests tucked away at his hip is at the throat of the intruder within seconds. Bhalla’s hand grasps at the intruder’s arm a little forcefully as he pulls them forth, demanding them to show themselves through gritted teeth.

It takes him a second to realise that he is holding a beautiful young lady in his arm, one who is dressed in rich silk but simple jewellery. It doesn’t take Bhalla long to realise that this woman is a guest, and he lets go of her immediately.

“I’m sorry,” he apologises. The girl before raises an eyebrow, gently rubbing on her right arm where Bhalla had grabbed her, and then seems to relent.

“It’s okay.”

Usually, Bhalla would move away, preferring to keep a respectful distance from female guests of the crown.

But something about this one guest…he finds himself unable to move. Hell, he finds himself unable to even look away.

He has met many a beautiful women in his lifetime as the Prince of Mahishmati, but never someone with strikingly sharp charisma as the one before him now. What else could one call it when he seems rooted to the spot unable to look away from her, even though she hasn’t said or done anything for a few minutes now?

“Bhallaladeva stumped by a beauty. Who’d have thought?” the girl quips, and Bhalla is shaken from his reverie.

“A beauty? Where?” Bhalla’s lips curve into a smirk as he says this.

“Oh? We are going to do this now, are we?” she laughs. She doesn’t seem convinced by Bhalla’s nonchalant attitude at all.

“What are you doing here, if you find this repulsive?” Bhalla asks her, gesturing towards the courtyard. He isn’t angry, or annoyed. He is more curious than anything.

“Like you don’t?” she asks him, and Bhalla shrugs.

The young lady moves so that she is now leaning against the sturdy wall, looking comfortable.

“Do you think most of them are here to wish the Queen Mother of Mahishmati birthday?” she asks, and then snorts. “I’d bet that at most five people here, apart from the royal family, are here to celebrate Sivagami Devi’s birthdate.”

She looks around the court, and Bhalla continues to wonder what she’s up to. Finally, she seems to have spotted something she wants to show him.

“Ah, yes. Look at that –“ She started, pointing to an aged couple talking to Sivagami in the middle of the court, and Bhalla turns to them.

“The Lord and Lady of Singapuram,” Bhalla remembers out loud.

“Queen Mother is pointing towards the mountains, probably talking of the fast-approaching winter season,” she guesses. “But look at the two before her,” she comments bemused. Bhalla looks closely, and makes out exactly what the stranger is pointing out – the couple were very subtly checking Queen Mother’s intricate and expensive jewellery out. They probably weren’t hearing a _thing_ his mother was speaking of, and Bhalla can bet on it that his mother’s aware of that. A deep chuckle escapes his lips.

“And look, over there: that man has entered the feast hall about five times now. I have been counting. Look what he’s up to,” she nods towards the far right end of the court, and Bhalla’s eyes follow the direction. He spots a healthy-looking man (a little _too_ healthy, even), decked to the neck with more gold than Bhalla has ever seen even on his mother, practically man-handling the servant holding a giant platter of _laddu._ Rather inconspicuously, the large man was grabbing the sweets and stuffing them down his mouth, and in between his belt, wherever it could be stuffed without completely getting destroyed.

“Some rich men come to these feasts just to consume the best of what the royal banquet has to offer!” the girl goes on, and Bhalla is now laughing out loud.

“The two girls there with an older man?” Bhalla starts this time, figuring he’d have a go now. He points at an aged man and two young ladies who are whispering urgently to each other, the girls adjusting themselves while the man seems to be advising them, all the while glancing at the Queen Mother. “They are feverishly preparing to impress the Queen Mother. If at least one of them ends up being a contender in the race to marry the Queen Mother’s only unmarried son, the man would consider himself a successful father.” 

“Brother.”

“What?”

“If at least one of them ends up being a contender in the race to marry the Queen Mother’s only unmarried son, the man would consider himself a successful _brother_ ,” the girl says, and it dawns on Bhalla.

“…you are one of his sisters, aren’t you?”

She shrugs. “Step-sister. I’m not one of the contenders, though, so don’t you worry,” she chuckles.

The disappointment he feels takes him by surprise, but Bhalla shakes it off. “Who are you?” he asks her.

“Indhira. And that’s King Udhayan of Ghandarva Kingdom, and those are his sisters Yazhini and Kamazhi,” Indhira explains. “The invite to this royal feast emphasized that every member of the family has to attend it, and, well, my step-brother didn’t want the Queen Mother to find out a member of the family was left behind in spite of her specific orders.”

Bhalla stays silent, taking it all in.

“I’m not a fan of socialising unnecessarily, so, here I am,” she finally finishes, and Bhalla finally looks at her.

“Then why am I an exception?” he asks, and he catches a twinkle in Indhira’s eyes.

“I wanted to personally find out how _charming_ the chief strategist of Mahishmati is. And I have to say, I’m a little underwhelmed,” Indhira answers with a smirk.

“I save my charm and strategies to win wars and save kingdoms – not to impress a lady,” he answers sharply.

“And that’s why you’re an exception.”

Her soft confession comes as a pleasant surprise to him, and Bhalla turns to truly look at the woman before him. Her bright eyes and brilliant smile spoke of an intelligence and warmth he has perhaps never seen in another woman before, and suddenly, Bhalla wishes he had never met her.

For if he hadn’t, the thought of perhaps having a future with one as remarkable as her might not have crossed, and stayed for a fleeting moment, in his mind.

“I….” Bhalla starts, but a commotion in the middle of the courts breaks his line of thoughts.

King Udhayan is now involved in a deep argument with the rich man who had been stuffing himself with laddus just a while ago. Speaking of which, the laddus were scattered everywhere, and on Udhayan – Bhalla guesses that there must have been some sort of a small accident that has now sparked off the argument.

“Please, escort them out,” soon comes Kattappa’s orders, and the royal guards are on the two men within seconds. Udhayan and the other man are escorted out, Udhayan’s sisters following close behind.

“I need to leave,” Indhira gasps. Bhalla turns to her, feeling himself panic for the first time that evening.

“But, why?” he questions.

“ _Why?_ My family is leaving, that’s why! How else am I going to get back home?” Indhira replies, apparently annoyed, both at Bhalla’s question and her time with him having been cut short. “I…I really need to go,” she finally says softly. She looks at him one last time, giving him a sad smile, and turns to leave.

“No, wait,” Bhalla calls out, reaching out. His fingers circle around her wrist, grasping her bangle gently. “Wait,” he repeats. “Will we meet again?”

Indhira looks towards the entrance, where Udhayan was very clearly looking and calling out to her, and she turns back to Bhalla, looking at him pleadingly.

“I ..I need to go,” Indhira insists, and Bhalla’s fingers slacken, but still don’t let go of her. She easily slips her hand out of his, hesitating to give him an apologetic look, before taking off.

Within minutes, the court resumes its festivities; Bhalla stands there in the shadows, all alone but for a single silver bangle in his hand.

 

* * *

 

“Mahendra. Mahendra, stop!”

His little nephew is at it again. Bhalla isn’t sure how, but the kid completely skipped the phase of walking – he has been running around ever since he has learned how to move his legs without falling flat on his face.

“Mahen, I said, _stop_ ,” Bhalla tried again as he chased after little Mahendra, hoping the stern voice would work.

Alas, the child all but squeals in delight as he took a sharp right and continued on his little adventure.

Usually, Bhalla wouldn’t have minded it. He’d have at least amused himself watching Mahen’s caregivers lose their minds around the child.

But Mahendra is now running away with a very specific object of Bhalla’s in his hand – the bangle that belongs to Indhira.

It has been a month since the feast, and Bhalla was mostly upset with himself for losing focus on everything but Indhira Devi, the step-sister of King Udhayan. He often thought of going to Baahu or his own mother, to let them know of the single woman who has infiltrated his senses within the matter of an hour.

But he couldn’t bring himself to. What if he had misinterpreted Indhira’s companionship for something more? What if she had been merely amusing herself by spending some time with him, and she doesn’t feel the same way about him? Wait, what did _he_ even feel about her?

He is overthinking, sure, but he at least hasn't snuck into the kingdom of the woman he supposedly likes dressed as a nomad and wooed her from afar.

Bhalla might perhaps never get over his brother’s romantic adventure that shook the Mahishmati kingdom for a bit.

All in all, Bhalla is not himself, but he does his best to hide that from his family.

All except for the little Prince, of course. The child had toddled in quietly in a moment where Bhalla was lost in his thoughts, grabbed the bangle right off the table (curse Bhalla for placing it specifically on the one table Mahen could reach) and was now well on his way to God knows where.

“Mahen, _come on_ ,” Bhalla was now close to pleading.

“Ah-ha!”

Bhalla barely stopped himself from colliding into the form that appears before him, and soon registered it to be his younger brother who has deftly caught little Mahen in his arms.

“Now where is the Prince running off to, huh? Don’t you want to eat? Come on, store up some energy before you can go running off again,” Baahu gently tells his son with a chuckle, and finally turns to Bhalla.

“May I know why His Grace is running after the toddler this early in the morning?” Baahu asks his brother with an eyebrow raised.

“I was just playing with him,” Bhalla answers with a nonchalant shrug.

“So, it has nothing to do with a girl’s bangle that my son is holding in his hand, then?”

Bhalla groans quietly.

“It’s…mother’s,” Bhalla offers half-heartedly, and Baahu simply snorts.

“Try that elsewhere. Like mother ever owns an ornament as simple as that. Even Deva doesn’t,” Baahu points out, looking closely at the bangle that Mahen was beginning to chew on now.

Bhalla opts to stay silent this time. If Mahen interrupts them, at any point, he might be able to grab the bangle and escape…

“It’s hers, isn’t it?”

Sigh. So much for an escape.

“Whose?” Bhalla asks, playing dumb.

“The girl you were speaking to at the feast. When you escaped the court, again,” Baahu says.

“….Alright, fine, yes,” Bhalla sighs. With little prompting from his brother, Bhalla finally admits everything.

“Bhalla, this is brilliant! Finally, a girl you like!” Baahu says as they stroll through the palace garden, with Mahen pattering away just a few feet before them.

“Didn’t I just tell you, this might not work out? We don’t know what Indhira feels,” Bhalla points out tiredly.

Baahu falls silent, in deep thought, before speaking again.

“What about –“

“Sneaking in and pretending to be someone else will not work, she already _knows_ me,” Bhalla sighs. “And Baahu? Your _brilliant_ idea almost caused you your Deva and me my singlehood, so do not ever suggest that to me.”

Baahu glares at his brother. “You know, you and Deva have no appreciation for my sense of adventure and love,” he says.

“I have no appreciation for what now?”

The two brothers turn to the voice. Mahendra lets out an excited shriek and runs forth, launching himself into his mother’s waiting arms.

“What are you two talking about and why did I just hear my name?” Devasena asks as she approaches them.

Bhalla subtly shakes his head at Baahu, not up for discussing Indhira with anyone just yet.

“Nothing. He’s just telling me about the blissful life of marriage and parenthood,” Bhalla says, and Devasena laughs.

“ _Blissful,_ is it, now? Didn’t really seem so when Mahendra insisted the both of us read to him in the middle of the night yesterday,” Devasena says.

“But I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Baahu quietly says with a soft smile, and the married couple lose themselves for just a few seconds.

“If you are both done being all romantic and annoying, I’ll be on my way now,” Bhalla quips, breaking the moment. He rests his hand on his belt, where he has tucked the bangle away safely (both he and Baahu had to spend some time wrestling it out of Mahen’s grip).

“Hold on, Bhalla,” Deva calls out just as Bhalla begins to leave. “There is a royal guest who has come a long way to visit us and Queen Mother wants us to greet them.”

“A royal guest?” Bhalla wonders out loud, puzzled.

“I don’t know. I was simply asked to pass you the message,” Deva says. “Shall we head back to the palace?”

Bhalla nods.

He follows Deva and Baahu into the palace, and into the private chambers, where the family usually spent time together. Bhalla wasn’t sure why Deva led him there when he was supposed to meet someone, but he guessed it must be a family member –

“Bhalla, you’re finally here. Meet my very personal guest – Princess Indhira,” Sivagami says just as the three adults enter the chamber.

For the first time in their lives, Baahu and Deva witness their dear Bhallaladeva go speechless. There he stands, like a fish out of water, gaping at the person that is now before him.

"She has never travelled out of the Ghandharva Kingdom on her own before, so I expect all of you to be at your best. One of you  _must_ be with her at all time," the Queen Mother continues. 

"Brother isn't going to have a problem doing _that_ ," Baahu mumbles under his breath, and Devasena bites back her laughter.

Bhalla still doesn’t move, looking at the woman he just might have possibly lost his heart to, completely dumb-founded.

"But..how..?" he finally speaks, and Sivagami raises an eyebrow. 

"I observe, Bhalla. More than I let on," is all she says, a smirk (very much similar to her son's) tugging at her lips. "I formally invited Princess Indhira as a guest to Mahishmati after some persuasion - her brother is one stubborn man, isn't he?" she goes on, the voice indicating that King Udhayan must not have been that much of a hindrance to the woman at all. 

Just as Bhalla takes a step forward to say something, there is a knock on the door. It's Kattappa. 

"Queen Mother, King Baahubali, it's time for the court assembly," he says, bowing low. 

"Alright, then. We shall take our leaves," she says, and turns to Indhira. "Princess, unfortunately, we have to part for a bit now. But don't you worry, I'm leaving my son Bhalla -" she pauses to give him a knowing look "-to keep you company till the three of us return from our duties." With that, Sivagami steps out of the chamber, Kattappa waiting silently for Baahu and Deva to join her as well.

But the couple stay rooted on the stop, looking between Indhira and Bhalla.

“You know, we should go,” Baahu finally says.

“What? No, I wanted to see Bhalla stutter and be embarrassed,” Deva sighs. But, realising that the court might indeed be awaiting them, she rushes off, but not before giving Indhira a reassuring smile. 

And then, the remaining two stand in an awkward silence, where Indhira basically just waits for the man to stop looking around and finally speak.

"You won't get into trouble when you go back, would you?" Bhalla asks finally. He isn't sure what prompted him to ask this, but he wants to make sure she's safe. 

Not that any other alternative would be remotely possible in his presence. 

Indhira stays silent for a long moment, and Bhalla is suddenly afraid that he has asked the wrong question. She's going to realise that she is indeed in trouble, and she's going to take off - 

"I'll worry about that later. _I_ _f_ I go back."

Her answer catches him off-guard, and the smooth charmer is suddenly spluttering. At this, Indhira raises an eyebrow.

"What? You don't want me to stay?"

"No! No, I mean, yes, I don't - wait, NO- " The Chief Strategist and General of Mahismati is a mess and at the back of his head he registers that Devasena would have given her left eye to see this in person. 

Indhira huffs.

“Fine then, I’ll take my leave. You don't seem too enthusiastic about this visit, it seems,” she curtly says, and turns to the great doors of the hall.

Bhalla reacts on a whim, and gently – well, as gently as he could – grasps Indhira’s wrist. The young princess stays where she is, a small smirk playing on her lips, still turning away from Bhalla. She can now hear him take a deep breath. 

“Indhira.”

Her names rolls off his tongue like honey, the deep voice of the man reverberating through the Princess even though they are barely touching.

Without another word, Bhalla takes the bangle from where he had tucked it away in his belt and slips it into her wrist, and says, “I look forward to spending every royal festival and feast hereon, judging and commenting on the most repulsive bunch with you.”

At this, Indhira turns around with a smile as bright as the sun himself…

…and Bhallaladeva realises then that he’d never look at another the same again.

**Author's Note:**

> *whispers with a lot of emotion* awkward!Bhalla is my favourite kind of Bhalla. 
> 
> This isn't REMOTELY canon, is it? Ugh. I'm sorry. But I still hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
